Automatic record changing mechanism for phonographs and the like



April 8, 1941. I A: R. DOWNS 2.231340 AUTOMATIC HECORD'CHANGING MECHANISM FOR PHOHQGRAfHS AND THE LIKE Filed March 8, 1940 2 Shets-S'heet 1 A. R. DQWNS AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGING MECHANISM FOR PHONOG'RAPHS AND THE LIKE Filed March 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 8, 1941 AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGING MECHA-.

' NISM FOR PHONOGRAPHS THE LIKE Arthur Robert Downs, Brighton, England, assignor to The Garrard Engineering and Manufacturing Company Limited, S'windon, Wiltshire, England Application March 8, 1940, Serial No. 323,012 In Great Britain February '1, 1939 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic record changing mechanism of the kind in which records are supported in stack formation above the turntable of the phonograph or the like upon an offset or shouldered spindle from which the records are released one by one and transferred to the turntable under their own weight.

The main object of the invention is to simplify the mechanism required for effecting the automatic changing of the records and to enable records of different sizes indiscriminately ar ranged to be released in succession for playing.

' In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a record changing mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the release actuating arm;

Figure 3 is an end view of the release actuating arm;

Figure 4 is a plan view'of a part of the mechanism for actuating the pick-up arm;

Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of the pick-up arm and actuating mechanism, taken in the direction of the arrow B of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an elevation of the resetting lever for the selecting mechanism, taken in the directlon of the arrow A in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, illustrating one of the stages in the rec'- ord changing operation.

In carrying the invention into efi'ect according to one convenient mode, as applied by way oi example to a record changing mechanism for ten inch and twelve inch records, there is provided a central supporting spindle I received permits the extension portion 5 to movefrorn -the' oflset position in which it is shown in Figure 1 to the position in which it is shown in Figure 7 where the extension is aligned with the main portion of the spindle I. With the hinged portion in ofl'set position the upper end of spindle l aifords a supporting shoulder 1. The hinged extension portion 5 is formed with a projecting shoulder 8. when in the offset position shown in Figure 1 this shoulder or projection is received within a corresponding recess in the spindie I, but when the hinged extension portion 6 is moved into alignment with spindle i the shoulder projects laterally as shown in Figure 7. The vertical distance between the upper surface of spindle I and that of the shoulder 8 is slightly less than the thickness of a record, for a reason .which will hereinafter appear.

Movements are imparted to the hinged spindle portion 5 by means of an arm 9 which is pivoted at ill to a lever ll capable of being rocked about a horizontal pivot l2 by means of a rotatable cam l3. A cam groove l4 engages a pin on a lever l5 which actuates, through a spring [6, a lever ll connected to lever II by a link Ill. The levers l5 and II have a common pivot l9 and the arrangement constitutes a resilient drive between the cam l3 and the lever H.

The arm 9 is, as previously stated, pivoted upon the lever II. A spring 20 secured to the arm maintains the latter in the. position shown in the drawings in full lines. When the arm is raised for loading purposes the line oi action of the spring passes to the opposite side of the pivot l0 and thus holds the arm in the'raised position.

An auxiliary arm 2| is secured to the-arm9 and is provided with a supporting surface 22. When the arm 9 is in the raised position this auxiliary arm is located, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1, toaflford convenient lateral support for the records during loading.

Provision is also made to prevent tilting of the records during the operations of record changing. The means provided for this purpose comprisea plate 23 attached to a bush 24 which is freely slidable upon the spindle extension portion 5. A U-shaped member 25 also attached to the plate is pivoted at 26 to the arm 9 which, as will be seen from Figure 3, is of channel section.

In order to enable indiscriminately mixed records of difierent sizes to be dealt with by the mechanism it is necessary to provide some means for automatically setting the pick-up arm of the gramophone to play the different records. For this purpose there is provided a lever 2! located below the stack of records and to one side thereof in such a position that it will be engaged by a twelve inch record when released but will not be, engaged by a ten inch record. The lever 21 is pivoted .at 28 and is connected by a link 29 to a lever 30 (see Figure 4) having a pair of ratchet teeth 8| and 32. These ratchet teeth are adapted to engage a pawl tooth 33 formed on a selecting lever 35 whichis provided with a raised cam surface 36 adapted to determine the position of an arm 31 which, through the spring 38 and an auxiliary arm 39, determines the lat-- record is determined by the arm 31 in engagement with the cam surface 36. In the position shown, the lever 35 and cam 36 will set the pick-up arm for playing a ten inch record. Actuation of the lever 21 by the dropping of a twelve inch record will displace the arm 30 and the pawl element 33 will move into engagement with the ratchet tooth 3|. This displacement of the lever 35 will bring another portion of the cam surface 36 into operative position and this will set the pick-up arm-for playing a twelve inch record.

Themechanism is reset by an arm 44 mounted on an extension of the shaft 42. This arm engages a turned down portion 45 on the lever 35 and returns the same to a position in which it is engaged by the first tooth 32 on the arm 30.

The raising and lowering of the pick-up arm is effected by a plate cam 46 also mounted on the shaft 42 which engages a'lever 47 arranged to impart vertical movements to a lifting rod 48. This part of the mechanism forms no part of the present invention and its operation is described in the specification of patent application No. 309,879 to which reference may be made.

The operations incidental to record changing will now be described.

To load the mechanism the arm 3 is raised to the position indicated by broken lines in Figure 1. This movement brings the supporting surface 22 into position near the edge of the recordstack, and the records are' threaded upon the spindle extension which is in the offset position so that the edge of the central hole of the lowermost record rests upon the flat surface or shoulder l of the spindle I. .The arm 3 is then-brought down over the pile of records and the bushing 24 is threaded over the spindle extension to bring the steadying plate 23 to rest upon the upper surface of the topmost record. It will be seen that in this position the spring 20 will exert a slight downward pressure upon the records and the plate 23 will prevent the pile from tilting or wobbling, it being appreciated that the lateral supporting surface 22 has by now been withdrawn.

The initiation of the record changing operation is effected by rotating the cam I3 which may be.

0. Jection coupled to said member and movable into spindle I the lowermost record is released and slides down the .spindle to the turntable 4. At this time the remaining records are supported upon the surface 1 as explained above, and the parts are ready for a further record changing operation. It will be seen that the spindle construction described provides in effect a stepped shoulder and the records are supported alternately upon one or other of the steps. It is also necessary, in order to ensure a smooth return of the records to the upper step surface, that the vertical spacing of the steps should be less than the thickness of the thinnest record likely to be used.

As the records are released in succession the arm 9 will descend under the influence of its weight and the action of the spring 20, and the plate 23 will prevent tilting or wobbling of the records as the stack is displaced back and forth. It will also be noted that with the descent of the arm 9 a smaller lateral displacement of the said arm will be necessary to bring the spindle extension 5 into alignment with spindle I. To allow for this difference in displacement the two levers I5 and i1 connected by the spring l6 provide a resilient drive between the cam I3 and the lever The operation of the selecting mechanism, which determines the setting of the-pick-up arm in accordance with the size of the record released, has already been explained.-

After all the records have been'played, the arm 3 is swung back into loading position and the spindle I is withdrawn from its socket to facilitate the removal of the records.

While the example described above is applied to the changing of ten inch and twelve inch records it will be understood that the mechanism may be adapted by suitable modification to deal with other sizes of records.

I claim:

1. In a phonograph adapted to play a number of records in succession, a turntable, record releasing mechanism including a spindle extending upwardly from said turntable, a member extending upwardly from said spindle and mounted thereon for movement into and out of alignment therewith and extending through a stack of records at their centers, a shoulder on said spindle for supporting the stack of records, a lateral prooffset relation with respect to the spindle when driven by any convenient means. Rotation of the cam rocks the lever H and through the arm 9 the extension 5 is moved about its pivot into the position, in which it is shown in Figure 7. This movement effects a displacement of all the records in the stack and the lowermost record will descend to the shoulder of the projection 3.

Continued rotation of the cam l3 will return the the member and spindle are in alignment, and movable into flush relation with said spindle when said member is out of alignment therewith, said projection being vertically spaced from said shoulder by a distance the order of the thickness of a record to engage the lowermost record of the stack adjacent its center when the projection is offset as the member and spindle are aligned, whereby the lowermost record is released for movement over said spindle to said turntable by tilting of said member and means operatively connected with said extension member for tilting the same.

2. In a phonograph adapted to play a number of records in succession, a turntable, record releasing mechanism including a spindle extending upwardly from said turntable, a rod extending upwardly from said spindle and pivoted thereto for movement into and out of alignment therewith and extending through a stack of records at their centers, a shoulder on said spindle for supporting the stack of records, a lateral projection coupled to said rod and movable into offset relal tion with respect to the spindle when the rod ,and spindle are in alignment, and movable into flush relation with said spindle when said rod is out of alignment therewith, the top portion of said projection being spaced below said shoulder by a distance the order of the thickness of a record to engage the lowermost record or the stack adjacent its center when'the projection is oilset as the rod and spindle are aligned, whereby the lowermost/record is released for movement over said spindle to said turntable by tilting of said rod and means operatively connected with said rod for tilting the same.

3. In a phonograph adapted to play a number into flush relation with said spindle when said projection and for tilting the rod out of the alignment, whereby the records of the stack are released successively for movement over said spindle to said turntable by the tilting of said rod.

4. In a phonograph adapted to play a number of stacked records in succession, a turntable, record releasing mechanism including a spindle extending above the turntable, a shoulder on said spindle for supporting a stack of records adjacent their, centers, a member extending upwardly from the spindle, through the stacked records at their centers, and mounted on said spindle for -movement from a position in alignment therewith to a position onset therefrom, a support,

element coupled to said extension member, oflset laterally with respect thereto, spaced below the shoulder of said spindle a distance in the order of the thickness of a record and movable with the extension member out of and into alignment with the spindle as the extension member ismoved into and out of alignment with said spindle, and means operatively connected with said extension member for moving said extension member into and out of alignment with the spindle, whereby all the stacked records will be displaced irom the shoulder of the spindle to rest on said support element when the extension member is moved in alignment with the spindle, and the lowermost of the stacked records will be released for dropping along thespindle onto the turntable, while the remaining records of the stack will be returned onto the spindle shoulder when-the extension member is moved out of alignment with the spindle.

5. In a phonograph adapted to play a number of stacked records in succession, a turntable,'rec-- ord releasing mechanism including a spindle extending above the turntable, a shoulder on said spindle for supporting a stack of records adiacent their centers, a member extending upwardly from the spindle, through the stacked records at their centers, and mounted on said spindle for movement from a position in alignment therewith to a position offset therefrom, a support element, coupled to said extension member, oflset laterally with respect thereto, spaced below the shoulder or said spindle a distance in the order of the thickness of a record and movable with the extension member out of and into alignment with the spindle as the extension member is moved into and out 01' alignment with said spindle, and a recess in said spindle into which said support element fits when said extension member is out of alignment with said spindle, and means operatively connected with said extension member for moving said extension member into and out of alignment with the spindle, whereby all the stackedrecords will be displaced from the shoulder of the spindle to rest on said support element when the extension member is moved in alignment with the spindle, and the lowermost ot the stacked records will be released for dropping along the spindle onto the turntable, while the remaining records of the stack will be returned onto the spindle shoulder when the extension member is moved out of alignment with the spindle.

- ARTHUR ROBERT DOWNS. 

